After working to process some of what I learned there in Charlotte in
my time with you, I have to first thank you from the very core of my
being for providing me with insights that are infinitely more valuable
than any I have ever received from medical practitioners about my
struggles to breathe. These struggles have been an unwelcome part of my
life for so long and I never had any clue at all as to why, and though I
have always suspected that they are connected with other aspects of my
life I haven't been able to figure out much about it on my own.

Mechanically, what I understand now is that chronic dysfunctional
breathing has made me intolerant of carbon dioxide in my blood and has
worked with my sympathetic nervous system to maintain a flight response.
. .and that this has all kinds of connections with ways I have been
guarding myself emotionally, which I connect too with other life
patterns of constant moving, with the need for identity-preservation and
the unexpressed and unresolved grief associated with that, also divorce,
loneliness, and the list goes on, etc. etc. etc. These insights are
perhaps the most extremely valuable outcome of my time with you, though
of course the tools you have given me to cope with and change these
mechanics are also of immeasurable value.

The exercises are subtle and definitely time-intensive and while I am
doing them religiously now (and breathing better, I might add), I wonder
what will happen when I get blasted with a move to a new country and a
full-time teaching schedule. I am hoping that I will incorporate them
into how I live my life before then! You will if you really want to.
You have the tools now. Intention and consistency is all that you need.

While I was there with you, I don't think I understood the value at
the time of vocalizing on the vibrating platform. When you asked me how
I felt and I could only respond "confused," which was not, as you
pointed out, an emotion, we came up with "anxious" as a better emotional
descriptor. But really on reflection, I think I was irritated,
frustrated (are these emotions?) and verging on angry at spending time
doing something I couldn't replicate on my own later.

But I've come to think of it in more metaphorical terms now, because
finding voice is important for me--maintaining a low profile, embracing
invisibility has been part of the survival mode I adapted in making many
moves, a carefully-learned survival technique of traveling through
different cultures that allows one not to stand out and be a target. In
my home culture, it allows me to look normative, not to draw too much
attention to the fact that I'm like an invisible alien, so my
non-normative side remains unexpressed and authenticity is blocked.
Blocking means I don't breathe in that parasympathetic way, to protect
myself from scrutiny or betrayal of my most vulnerable self--I go into
hiding. Finding voice, then, locating that sweet spot and vocalizing in
the midst of being "shaken up" is an antidote to this. Groundedness is
exactly what I have never ever had in my restless life. And whatever
ways help me to recognize the ways I maintain this survival mode
unnecessarily will ultimately help to relieve my struggles to breathe .
So while I didn't actually understand the reason you were having me do
that, seeing it metaphorically gives me another powerful tool for making
changes.

For some reason the LEASE exercise remains my favorite. . .I can
understand it intellectually and physically and it has some spiritual
resonance for me, too. And it seems like it's quick to have good effects
as I find myself trying to elongate my exhale in other activities, too,
kind of without thinking about it. Good, then do it daily. You may
find days you DO NOT do it do not go so well. Standing meditation is
good, too, though the benefits of it are more subtle to me. It takes
much longer which is another reason in addition to grounding, centering
and connecting the voice to the feet that I use the Vibration equipment
with the particular sounds I have you make.

I am a little unclear still about what precisely I should be doing
with the strapping technique. Do it per the 176 DVD until you no
longer feel any extra breathing space, then wait a few days to do it
again. For the rest of your life until a few years after you retire then
once every 3-6 weeks.

I think of those hours with you in your office as a time of intense
self-discovery and learning, and I know I will be processing this new
information for some time to come.

I am still unclear about some things--for instance, while I enjoyed
hanging upside down, I am less able to fit that into the bigger picture
of what I have learned. Low back pain control and elimination. The
diaphragm connects to the 3rd lumbar. Low back pain (any pain actually)
invites shallow breathing.

Can I get the same effect from inverted yoga postures? No. Gravity
is the key (anti-gravity). Hanging and not compressing is the key. If we
did not have gravity we would mostly not have low back pain unless we
God forbid have a severe accident.

And there is some advice I resist, knowing I won't fully heed but
might in truth work toward. Included here are an increased raw food
diet, sleeping and awaking earlier, and moderating my "driven" modes of
exercise. I can see the value in these things but resist making such
changes in life style. Certainly not all at once---schooway. Take it
slow and easier (notice I did not say "easy" as that may not be
appropriate to addressing the tasks at hand) one day at a time.

Thank you for the books--I am reading them and also Barbara
Kingsolver's book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, about her family's
year of trying to eat in a self-sustained, local way--all three books
are slightly different in how they approach this question of health and
foods and life, and taken together they're provoking me to think about
it kind of constantly. I like it.

So, Mike, I hope you can see that your input of time and information
has been taken much to heart. I know I will continue to process it all
and benefit from it as I continue to try to live in parasympathetic
mode.

One parting question as I close this--do you know if hypnosis can
help in disengaging from overbreathing and such sympathetic responses?
Maybe depending on the hypnotist and your openness to the process. It
will probably not replace rapidly changing and fine tuning the breathing
mechanics while integrating it with the voice, personal power and mega
doses of consciously created well being. But energy does often follow
thought so I'd give it a good try. Hanging out with positive like minded
people is also a great way to suport that process.

With much gratitude, all my best to you, Laurie

Dear Mike,

Just wanted to express my deep
appreciation for your great help in improving both my health and singing
ability. As a young woman I had had a professional career in both opera
and concert. Although I had had excellent teachers and coaches in New
York, Vienna, Austria and Milan, Italy, I had never been
completely happy with my breath support. After marriage and having two
sons, I settled back into singing in church and more local jobs. Then,
about three years ago I discovered your web site and ordered your Better
Breathing Exercises 1 & 2, as well as the manual. Well, they are truly
marvelous! They've made me more aware of my posture, for every time I
think of breathing deeply, it reminds me to stand more erectly. I had
given up public singing except at family parties, or other such joyous
occasions, but, as I began to practice in the shower with my new breath
support, the voice was much steadier, and with a lovely tone. So-o-o,
the next time I was asked to sing in church, I did, and they really
liked it. Since then, I've been singing solos and duets quite
frequently, and it gives me enormous pleasure. Why is this so
amazing? Well, though only my family and close friends know (because I
look about 60),1 confess that I'm 75 years old. Just married my
childhood sweetheart 20 months ago. (We hadn't seen or even heard from
each other in over 50 years), but he is the love of my life.

Your tapes have also helped improve
my health. Although I've always been into holistic health, eating
nutritiously, exercising, and the power of prayer, positive thinking and
gratitude, your help with better posture and deeper breathing has been
the added fillip that I needed. I especially love your "Better
Breathing Exercise 1". It's so relaxing...marvelous before
meditation, or before any possibly stressful situation. In fact I
sometimes work with it when I wake up in the middle of the night, and
have difficulty returning to sleep. I just turn it down low so that I
can just hear your voice, and pay no attention when you tell me to keep
my eyes open (if! tend to fall asleep.) Usually I am off to dreamland
before the Tibetan singing bowls begin their chimes.

Then, when I know there's an
especially busy day ahead, I love your "Breathing
Exercise #2" to get the energy flowing. One of these days
I hope to be able to take one of your classes..

"Breathing
is the FIRST place not the LAST place one should
investigate when any disordered energy presents itself."

Sheldon Saul Hendler, MD Ph.D., The Oxygen Breakthrough

"He who breathes most
air lives most life."

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"Mike's Optimal Breathing teachings should be incorporated into
the physical exam taught in medical schools as well as other allied physical and mental health programs, particularly
education, and speech, physical, and respiratory therapy."

Several Marathons has
inspired quite a few runners to use our breathing kit,
looking to increase their breathing strength &
endurance. This is on top of their fitness training
programs. Having a major tune-up to re-establish
energy-efficient breathing patterns has been of enormous
benefit to both elite and recreational runners - young
middle and old.

The breathing improvement
techniques, practices and products outlined in this publication are extremely
gentle, and should, if carried out as described, be beneficial
to your overall physical and psychological health. If you have any serious medical or
psychological problem, however, such as heart disease,
high blood pressure,
cancer, mental illness, or recent abdominal or chest surgery, you should consult your
health professional before undertaking these practices.